Referee Mike Parga felt uneasy last week when he huddled with his crew before the Poway-Scripps Ranch football game.

Parga says a new rule designed to detect and protect high school athletes with concussion-like symptoms has put officials in position to make medical judgments for which they are not trained.

“Most of the (referees) are concerned about that,” Parga said. “The coaches are concerned about that too.”

Rather than refer the athlete to a trainer, if a referee suspects a player has been concussed, the athlete is automatically out of the game.

“That’s backwards to me,” Parga said. “That’s silly.”

The rule, adopted in May by the California Interscholastic Federation, mandates that an athlete suspected of being concussed be removed from practice or competition. He is done for the day and cannot return until he is cleared by a medical professional specializing in concussion management.

There were no concussions reported on the field during last Friday’s opening football games, and no players were removed, but those involved are taking a wait-and-see approach.

“We will find out to what extent this plays out to be a problem or not a problem,” said Mount Miguel High Principal Steve Coover, who serves as the instructional chair of the San Diego County Football Officials Association.

The CIF rule goes beyond what the NCAA or the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has instituted. Under the national rule, a player could return to play during the same game after being cleared by a sideline doctor. Under the state rule, which applies to all sports, that could not happen.

“It’s very hard to criticize something that’s being put in place for the health and safety of the athlete,” Coover said. “(But) the rule drafted by the national federation was consistent with (the NCAA) rule and I think it was appropriate.

“The idea that the state of California has taken this additional step is what is causing concern with the implementation.”

Coover said the CIF trumped the NFHS rule, and by doing so put more focus on the judgment of the official and more pressure on the accuracy of his observation and response.

“Then the concern is, are you overreacting? Over-responding? Or under-responding? All of this is being debated,” he said.

Coover said his association has voiced its concern to the CIF’s San Diego Section.

Bill McLaughlin, the section’s assistant commissioner, said the matter will go before the state football advisory committee on Tuesday. McLaughlin said he hopes the CIF will recommend the rule be adjusted so that no individual without a medical license will be placed in the position of attempting to diagnose a concussion.

“The (officials) don’t want to be in the position of being the person who should have diagnosed or who did not diagnose or who misdiagnosed a concussion, which caused a player to either not be removed from the game or be removed from the game,” McLaughlin said.

Shannon Zolla is in her first year as Scripps Ranch’s certified athletic trainer. She said she was unaware of the officials’ involvement in the application of the new rule.